Little-known fact about Jane #8

Jane Austen has never been more popular in America. Candidates on both sides of the political divide are now vying with one another to quote her in their speeches. “And you know what?” Republican candidate Mitt Romney told a group of his supporters last Thursday. “Jane Austen loved Iowa every bit as much as I do”. On the Democrat side, Hillary Clinton is just one challenger who has shown herself eager to invoke Austen’s name. “If Jane Austen can win the heart of Minnesota, then so – with your help – can I!” she told a gathering yesterday.
By Craig Brown The Telegraph 26/01/2008 http://www.telegraph.co.uk